Thursday, June 29, 2017

Claudette Melanson
writes dark fantasy in Kitchener, Ontario with four bun babies: Tegan, Pepper,
Butters & Beckett. She graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania
with a BA in English, BS in English Education and an MA in Literature.
Harboring a deep admiration of vampires since the age of five left her with the
desire to eventually become one, and now fuels the creation of her favorite
paranormal characters. She hopes to one day work full time as an author, since
there are many, many stories playing out inside her head.

In her very scant spare time, she enjoys watching Japanese Anime and reading
vampire stories...along with other genres of great fiction, as well as riding
every roller coaster she encounters in both her hometown and away at signings.
An advocate for good health and ketogenic eating, her favorite foods are
bulletproof coffee, cashew-flour crust pizza and treats made with xylitol and
almond, coconut or cashew flours.

Future dreams include a cabin boasting a roaring fire, isolated inside a
snow-filled wood in the Yukon—the perfect writing spot—and the completion of
dozens of future novels and stories. A Rabbit Rescue fanatic and loving bunmom,
she also hopes to help rescues all over the world save many innocent lives.

When a cruel prank
nearly claims Maura’s life, one of her classmates, Ron, rushes to her rescue.
Darkly handsome & mysteriously accepting, Ron doesn’t seem to want to stay
away, but Maura is reluctant to get too close, since her mother has announced
she’s moving the two of them to Vancouver…nearly 3,000 miles away from their
hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania.

If life wasn’t already challenging enough, Maura begins to experience bizarre,
physical changes her mother seems hell bent on ignoring, compelling Maura to
fear for her own life. Vicious nightmares, blood cravings, failing health and
the heart-shattering loss of Ron—as well as the discovery of a tangled web of
her own mother's lies—become obstacles in Maura's desperate quest for the
unfathomable truth she was never prepared to uncover.

Mostly at home in the LR where I can watch my four bunnies play and
interact. I love having a scary movie on in the background for inspiration.

3 How
long does it normally take you to write a novel?

If it’s Maura it can go fast. I took six years to write Rising Tide, but
that one was my first. I did Undertow in 9 months and Riptide in
5 months. It really varies on the subject matter/characters, but I hope to keep
getting faster.

4. What
are your inspirations?

Other books and movies. The Twilight series was a huge source of
inspiration. I’ve always drawn from Stephen King and Ernest Hemingway. American
Horror Story, 13 Ghosts. I absorb every scary thing I see/read. I also love to
have background music on. It can really get me in the right frame of mind.

5. How
did you come to write this particular book or series?

I dreamed about Maura for years. I know her very well since I fleshed
her out inside my head so often after those dreams. Vampires have always been
my favorite characters, so that part was a given.

6. What
was the hardest part of writing your book, and how did you overcome it?

Finishing the first one. I’ve always had so many book ideas and starts
but never carried one all the way through. I also wanted to work on my writing
to make sure it was good enough to put out there. When I was halfway done with
Rising Tide, I thought to myself that I needed to make the big push and get it
done. I worked at it every day until I finally did it and didn’t start working
on anything else. I learned there are no limits when you really set your mind
to something.

7. What
is your writing drive? The power that keeps you going when your writing gets
difficult?

I mostly think of all I want to accomplish. I want a huge library of
titles online like Bella Forrest or Stephen King. I just tell myself to keep
the ball rolling, because if I quit or give up, I’ll never accomplish what I
want to do. The only thing is to move forward. I have a few really good writing
buddies who help to keep me going too! (Thanks Sherri, Laura & Lynn). Kind
words from my readers always remind me why I’m doing this as well, both for
them and for me.

8. How
did you come up with the title?

I knew this would be a trilogy, so I wanted three titles that went well
together, made up a theme. I love the ocean, so I thought of Undertow first and
then the other two titles just came to me easily. There are a fair amount of
water metaphors and the titles fit well with the turbulence going on in Maura’s
life.

9. Name
one entity that you feel supported you outside of family member?

Tome Tender Book Blog was one of the first to give me a chance and a
blog review. Anytime I’ve had a book out or a promo going, Dianne Bylo is
always ready to help. I really hate it when some of the blogs don’t give Indies
a chance, but she welcomes Indie authors with welcome arms. She really works
hard on that blog, and it shows. I appreciate her help and support very
much…along with many others in the book world.

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